penn state phys 250

7/29/2019 penn state phys 250

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John Hopkins

Physics 250Introductory Physics I

John Hopkins 12
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2/19

Physics 250

John Hopkins 12

Mr. John D. Hopkins

Senior Instructor of Physics

Course Lecturer - Physics 250

Course Admin.- Physics 213 and 214

office: 123 Osmond Labhours:Tues and Wed 10:00 - 11:30 AM & By Appt.

email: [email protected]


3/19

Be Sure!

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You must be registered in bothPHYS 250L& 250R.

You will not receive a grade if you are onlyenrolled in one.

Ive sent multiple alerts to those incorrectly

enrolled. Its now up to you.


4/19

John Hopkins

Website Review

All important information about the course

can be found at the following location:

http://intro.phys.psu.edu/class/p250fa
http://intro.phys.psu.edu/class/p250fahttp://intro.phys.psu.edu/class/p250fa


5/19

Course Structure

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There are five course components:

* Recitation(15%): Work in groups of 3 solving a common problem

* Laboratory(15%): hands-on application of concepts working in a

group of 3.

* Homework(15%): Practice problems of the types and difficulty

of exam problems

* Lecture (0%): Concepts and material presented

All are designed to prepare and provide practice for the ..

*Exams(55%): 2 midterms and final. (final is cumulative)


6/19

Academic Integrity

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As described inThe Penn State Principles, academic integrity isthe basic guiding principle for all academic activity at Penn State

University, allowing the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open,

honest, and responsible manner. We expect that each student will

practice integrity in regard to all academic assignments and will not

tolerate or engage in acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or

deception. To protect the fundamental ethical principles of the

University community and the worth of work completed by others,

we will record and report to the office of Judicial Affairs all

instances of academic dishonesty.The University and Departmental policy regarding academic

integrity can be found on the course web page with links to the

faculty senate policy: http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-

00.html#49-20.
http://www.psu.edu/ur/principles.pdfhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/ur/principles.pdf


7/19

This Week

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There are no lab or recitations on Mon and Tues of this week.

Follow your normal schedule on Wednesday and Thursday.

There two assignments due on WebAssign within the next 7 days

One is an introductory (ungraded) assignment (Due Fri @ 11:59PM) The other is a very brief example of common algebraic and

trigonometric skills that we will use throughout the course (is

graded) (due Sun @11:59PM)


8/19John Hopkins

Where do we start?

Why do things happen the way that they do?

We need to completely understand what ishappening before we can hope to determine

why it happens the way that it does.

KinematicsThe study of how things move

DynamicsWhy things move as they do


9/19John Hopkins

Incoming Misconceptions

New students come with beliefs based upon their collective lifeexperiences. These experiences and perceptions form your

outlook on how your world is and allows you to make

predictions on how other things should be.

Many have roots in antiquity and have worked their way into theculture

They make an expression of your

individuality

Our goal will be to add to yourexperiences. We will, of course,

examine whether you have

understood what we are presenting

but in the end only you can change

your opinions.


10/19John Hopkins

Creativity in Science

General Public View ofScientists

Calculator on Belt

Pocket Protector

Thick Glasses Talking incoherently aboutincomprehensibly small aspects ofour world

In short ..


11/19John Hopkins

Bad Rap

Few people understand the work they do.

Often the explanations seem disconnected from the real

world.

based upon his observations of the shadows cast ( on June21st) by the obelisk in the center of town and the well in thecity of Syene some 500 miles to the south.

Erastothenes proclaimed the earth to be round (192 BC)


12/19

Erastothenes

John Hopkins

Distance to Syene and Alexandria measured

Distance from Alexandria to Syene = 5000 stades.Circumference of the Earth = 50 x 5000 = 250,000 stades.

The `stade' was a common unit of length in the ancient world which varied

from place to place.

The Olympic stade is 0.185 kilometers (Olympic games).

The Egyptian stade is 0.157 kilometers. This would have given a value

for the circumference of 39,300 kilometers, only 2% smaller than the

true value.

It took over 1700 years before a successful trip could be made toverify the workings of this ancient mathematician

A direct line to the voyage of Columbus can be drawn fromthis one observation.

A somewhat revised (under)estimate was given to QueenIsabella to justify the voyage of Columbus


13/19John Hopkins

Creative Genius?

Those people that are lucky enough to be alive during thesegreat leaps of discovery marvel at the creativity of thescientists involved. They talk of:

the shedding of new light, the new interpretation, the unveiling of the previously hidden, the sheer creative genius

Much the same way that the people during the time of

Michelangelo, Wagner, Mozart, and Da Vinci spoke of them.

Scientists share in the creative spirit of mankind. We add tothe collective consciousness of the human race another

description of the order and beauty of the cosmos.


14/19John Hopkins

Why Study Physics?

Who? People in premed, engineering,

Others who are interested in the cultural implications

All are surprised by how quickly their technical knowledge goes

out of date New techniques not necessarily new knowledge

Necessitates that in the four years after college you will need to learn morethan what you learned in college

Knowing how to:

Analyze problems Reason logically

Discriminate between critical and irrelevant material are all critical skills

Best thing to do is to learn HOW to learn.by yourself


15/19John Hopkins

What To Do

What not to do Dont simply memorize facts

Dont simply memorize principles

Do

Train your thinking on simple problems Try new approaches

Try a new perspective

Copy other peoples approach to problems

Never simply copy solutions

Apply approaches learned to more complex problems

Discussion questions, homework, and practiceproblems are thus very important to any beginningstudy of physics


16/19

John Hopkins

Attitude

Physics is no different!

Musicians, athletes,and even bridgeplayers all developmethods to improve

their skills.

You must earnestly want to

learn the material and not focus

on what is needed to just get by.


17/19

Lets agree on the following

John Hopkins

1. As an adult, you have the right to plan when to do your work for class.

2. Part of your planning must include completing your work prior to course

deadlines

3. You have the right to question me at anytime. If I am incorrect I will admit it

and remedy any mistakes that have been made.

4. You have the right to contact me and expect a timely response.

In most cases, messages sent will get a response within one working day (M-F).5. You will not be required to believe what I believe, only to learn what is being

presented.

6. You have the right to learn passively.if you wish

a) This is certainly not the best way to learn anything. Learning is an activity

in which you are engaged in the material and not simply meeting the bareminimum of the course requirements. If you only do the bare minimum,

expect a bare minimum grade.

b) Students who are involved and ask questions invariably do better in the

course than those who sit passively and do the minimum amount of work.


18/19

John Hopkins

Do the Homework!


19/19

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Two of my favorites

Be Persistent:

The capacity to blunder slightlyis the real marvel of DNA.Without this special attribute, we would still be anaerobic bacteria,

and there would be no music." -Lewis Thomas

How we do it:

Good judgment comes with experience.

Experience comes by exercising bad

judgment - Will Rogers

penn state phys 250

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